


Touch

by theflyinganonymouse



Category: VIXX
Genre: M/M, Superpowers, all that superhero kind of peril, with soft bits thrown in too, x-meny type of thing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-30
Updated: 2019-04-11
Packaged: 2019-12-26 08:58:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 23
Words: 12,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18279932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theflyinganonymouse/pseuds/theflyinganonymouse
Summary: Taekwoon's power is to take through nothing more than the simplest of touches.(Or the ot6 superhero au that no one asked for)





	1. Storm

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so these little baby ficlets came through playing writing games with my most brilliant friend Brit. The aim of the game was to write a ficlet based off the word given. I kind of ended up making up a whole au. Oops. For this first chap the word was 'storm'. 
> 
> These are mostly super self-indulgent and based on a world that gets fleshed out as we go along but also leaves a lot of gaps, too. The time jumps around and the ficlets will be posted in the order written rather than any kind of chronological order.

A bright white flash of lightning leaves Sanghyuk momentarily blinded and he stumbles and nearly falls as he runs towards the eye of the storm. The thunder that follows the lightning makes the ground shake so hard that a couple of car alarms start to go off.

“Oh, god.” He mutters. 

Wind rips at his clothes as he continues to run. He knows he’s close, he can feel the electricity in the air. 

He rounds a corner and- there. 

Taekwoon.

He’s about twenty feet up in the air, his arms thrown wide and electricity crackling down the length of his body. His eyes are wide open and Sanghyuk can see that they’re white.

“Oh, Taekwoon.” He says and his heart hurts because he’s never seen him so out of control. He knows it isn’t his fault but Sanghyuk has to stop him before anyone else gets hurt. “I’m sorry, baby, this is going to hurt.”

He cups his hands together and then draws them apart, creating a ball of red energy. He throws it once it’s the size of a soccer ball and it catches Taekwoon on the side of the head. 

The air suddenly grows flat and the storm begins to dissipate and Taekwoon, limp and unresponsive, falls onto the hard concrete floor.


	2. Heal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Heal'

“Hakyeon!” Taekwoon shouts but it’s too late. He can only watch as a bright white ball of energy hits him in the torso and he is sent flying backwards into a car. “Oh, god, no.”

He fires his own burst of energy, bright red and a power he had borrowed from Sanghyuk when the fight had first begun, and it crashes into Hakyeon’s attacker. Taekwoon doesn’t stop to see if it has killed them, his thoughts are only on Hakyeon. 

There’s red on Hakyeon’s lips and his chest is a charred mess and blood is gushing from the wound. It doesn’t stop, no matter how much Taekwoon presses on it, tries to slow the bleeding.

“Hakyeon, no, no, please.” Taekwoon whispers, tears streaming from his eyes. He hugs Hakyeon close to him. “Please, not like this.”

Hakyeon is dying, that much is obvious, but he can’t- he can’t die. They need him. He’s their leader, the one that had brought them all together, the one that loves them above all else. He can’t just leave them. Not like this. There must be something he can do, there must be-. 

An idea comes to him.

He’s only done this once before and it wasn’t for anything as big and serious as this. He prays it works. He needs it to work. 

He lies Hakyeon flat on the concrete once more, ignoring the battle that rages around them, and he cups Hakyeon’s face and kisses him on the brow in the most fleeting of touches.

“I love you.” He says, his face pulled into a determined frown.

Hakyeon’s eyes are open and Taekwoon can tell he’s trying to work out what he’s planning to do. 

“You’ll be okay.” Taekwoon promises as he pulls his gloves off with his teeth. He rips Hakyeon’s uniform open presses the bare skin of his hands against Hakyeon’s chest. He concentrates on the wound. “You’ll be okay, you’ll see.”

“Taekwoon.” Hakyeon rasps, finally understanding what Taekwoon is doing. “No!”

“I love you.” Taekwoon says again.

He closes his eyes and fills his mind’s eye with Hakyeon. The wound is a jagged, pulsing ball of hurt and it is firmly stuck in place. Taekwoon doesn’t care. He pulls on it, claws at at it, and does everything he can to loosen its hold on Hakyeon. He is panting with the strain of it by the time the wound shifts.

He pulls and pulls and he draws the wound to himself and away from Hakyeon. He can feel his flesh burning and bubbling. He can feel blood streaming from his chest. He knows he’s nearly done it. He gives one last tug at the wound and it leaves Hakyeon entirely. Taekwoon absorbs it into his being. 

“Taekwoon!”

Taekwoon slumps forwards into waiting arms. He can taste blood on his tongue and the world is a sickly shade of grey.

“You idiot.” Hakyeon says. It sounds like he’s crying. “Why did you do that? You idiot, why would you do that for me?”

Taekwoon coughs and chokes on blood.

“I love you.” He tries to say.

“I love you, too.” Hakyeon says and he kisses the top of his head. “I love you so much.”


	3. Breakdown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Breakdown'

Taekwoon screams. 

Wonshik pulls his hand away, a worried look on his face, “what is it? What’s wrong?” 

But Taekwoon isn’t listening. He has his hands fisted in his hair and he’s pulling and screaming and screaming and screaming. 

“Taekwoon?” Wonshik asks. He wants to touch him, wants to try and soothe him but he’s frightened of making things worse. He thinks he knows what’s happened. “It’s okay, it was an accident.”

“I stole!” Taekwoon shouts. He drops down onto the floor from the sofa and crawls over to the corner of the room. He pulls his legs to his chest and hugs them as he begins to sob. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to.”

“It’s okay.” Wonshik says again. “It’s okay.” 

He doesn’t know what Taekwoon has taken. He doesn’t feel any different or any emptier. A small ball of flames still appears when he clicks his fingers. He doesn’t understand what Taekwoon is so upset about but he knows he needs to find out. 

He slips onto the floor but he doesn’t move any closer to Taekwoon, not wanting to overwhelm him, and over and over again he repeats the same words: “it’s okay.”

Eventually, bit by bit, Taekwoon’s sobs begin to slow and he begins to calm down. 

“I stole a memory.” He says long after Wonshik thinks he’s fallen asleep.

“Of what?” Wonshik asks, voice soft and unaccusing.

“Yours and Jaehwan’s first kiss.” Taekwoon whispers, almost too quiet for Wonshik to hear.

“Oh.” Wonshik says. 

“I stole it, I took it.” Taekwoon tells him and his breath hitches in chest, on the verge of fresh tears. “The butterflies in your belly, the fire in your veins, the- the love in your heart. I stole that from you.”

“Taekwoon.” Wonshik says, his voice so unusually stern that it causes Taekwoon to look up at him in fear. “Listen to me, okay? And actually listen to me, don’t just hear what you want to hear. Kissing Jaehwan… It always feels like that. You haven’t stolen anything from me, okay? Not a thing.” 

Taekwoon looks at him like he doesn’t believe him.

“Trust me.” Wonshik says, a smile tugging at his lips. “All you’ve done is given me an excuse to kiss him again.”


	4. Dinner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Dinner'

Taekwoon has been at the house for two weeks now. This isn’t the first time he’s been invited to eat with the others but it’s the first time he accepts. He’s kept himself mostly barricaded in his room, only coming out in the dead of night to raid the kitchen for food.

Hakyeon has been a regular visitor to his room. He’s been kind and patient, not really caring that Taekwoon doesn’t speak much, and he never out stays his welcome even though, technically, this is his house and Taekwoon is his prisoner so he can do whatever he wants.

“It isn’t like that.” Hakyeon tells him over and over again. “We want to help you.”

Taekwoon doesn’t believe him, not really, because the only other person who has ever said that they wanted to help him had used him, made him do terrible things, and then left him for dead when things had gone south. But he agrees to go down to dinner that night anyway because he’s hungry and he’s curious. He knows that there are others in the house and that they want to meet him. Hakyeon has spoken about them endlessly- Wonshik with his ability to master fire and Sanghyuk and his control of energy. There’s Jaehwan and his superspeed, too, and Hongbin who can manipulate metal. Taekwoon can tell that Hakyeon cares for them all greatly.

The dining room is noisy but no one really pays him any great attention, not at first, not after Hakyeon introduces them at least. They just go about their evening as if there’s always been six of them, as if Taekwoon isn’t a stranger being kept prisoner by their leader.

He watches them all pile their plates with food but he’s too scared to do the same. He has long sleeves on and his gloves but he’s still terrified of one of them touching them. He doesn’t want to take anything. He doesn’t want them to get mad. He knows what they can do it - he’s _seen_ it - and he’s terrified of being on the receiving end of their anger once more.

The person sitting next to him, Jaehwan, he thinks, must notice and realise because he puts a bit of everything onto Taekwoon’s plate. He doesn’t pause his dramatic retelling of something that happened earlier in the day as he does so, he just does it- as if it’s no big deal.

As if Taekwoon is someone who needs to be taken care of.

“Eat.” Hakyeon urges him. He’s wearing a kind smile. “You need to build your strength back up.”

Hope, faint and fragile, blooms in Taekwoon’s chest.

Maybe it’ll be different here.


	5. Train

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Train'

There isn’t time.

The train- it’s out of control. Its breaks have been cut and it is hurtling towards certain disaster. Taekwoon thinks about all the people on board, how all they’d wanted was to get home after another busy day at work and see their loved ones again. He knows they’re all going to die if they don’t do something soon.

“There’s nothing we can do.” Hakyeon tells him, eyes wet. He’s knelt on the floor and Hongbin is out cold on his lap. “We can’t stop it.”

It’s another one of  _ her _ schemes, another plot designed to inflict death and destruction, another way to champion her cause. She believes in the superiority of people like them.  _ Mutants. _ She thinks that the only way to make the normal people listen is through horrific displays like this. 

Taekwoon knows they need to stop her but the only one of them who might have been able to do something is Hongbin and he’s out for the count. She had made sure of that.

The train is getting closer and closer, Taekwoon can see it now. His heart is racing and he feels sick.

“We need to do something.” He says. 

“The only way is-.” Sanghyuk cuts himself off, frightened eyes meeting Taekwoon’s own.

Of course!

“Taekwoon, no!” Hakyeon says but Taekwoon isn’t listening, he’s already pulling his left glove off. 

“Taekwoon, don’t, there must be another way.” Wonshik pleads. 

“You’re going to get yourself killed.” Jaehwan says, face grim. He’s leaning heavily on Wonshik, one of his legs a bloody mess. “But if there’s a chance it might work… None of those people deserve to die. You have to do it.”

“Taekwoon.” Hakyeon looks on the verge of tears.

“It’s the only chance they have.” Taekwoon says. He kneels down and presses the bare skin of his palm against Hongbin’s bloody cheek. Eyes closed, he thinks of Hongbin’s power and borrowing it from him. Not taking. He moves his hand away as soon as it’s done.

“Borrow a little from me, too.” Jaehwan says. “Or else you’re never going to get there in time.”

Taekwoon clasps his hand for the briefest of moments, just long enough to get what he needs, before letting go. 

“I’ll follow you.” Sanghyuk says.

“Be careful.” Wonshik begs him. “If you think- if it doesn’t work then don’t throw your life away. We need you.”

“We love you.” Hakyeon says.

“I know.” Taekwoon says and then he’s gone.

He sprints towards the train tracks at full speed. The train is so close now. He needs to stop it before it comes off the rails or crashes. Taekwoon can’t believe just how quickly it’s moving.

He stops in the middle of the tracks and throws his hands out in front of himself, towards the train. 

‘Stop.’ He thinks desperately. He can feel Hongbin’s power welling inside of himself, can hear the metal groan. It feels like there’s a huge pressure pressing down on his skull. There’s just so much metal, so much weight, that he needs to control. He doesn’t know if he’s strong enough to do it. ‘Stop, stop stop!’

He’s never been good with Hongbin’s power.

The train is getting closer and closer. 

“Stop!” Taekwoon screams, throwing every last piece of energy he has into what he’s doing. He hears the metal creak and crack and shriek as the train’s wheels become liquid, as the front of the train crumples. 

It’s only a hundred feet away now. 

“Stop!” 

Taekwoon clenches his eyes closed just as the train is about to hit him. 

Except, except that it doesn’t. 

He opens tired eyes and sees the train less than a foot away from his outstretched hands. It’s stopped- he’s done it!

“Taekwoon!” He hears Sanghyuk shout just as his eyes roll back in his head and he faints.


	6. Care

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Care'

It’s snowing outside but Jaehwan still wants to go out.

“Where?” Taekwoon had asked when Jaehwan had first started to pester him about it. “Why?”

“Are you really that boring?” Jaehwan had asked. “Don’t you do anything just for the sake of it?” 

“Get Hakyeon to stop the snow and I’ll think about it.” Taekwoon had responded.

Except it’s fifteen minutes later and it’s snowing heavier than ever and he’s pulling on his winter boots while under strict supervision from Jaehwan. 

“Can you not do your laces any quicker?” He asks. He’s bouncing on the balls of his feet, already dressed in his coat and scarf and boots.

“It’s hard with gloves on.” Taekwoon tells him, his cheeks turning red. His hands haven’t worked right since his time with  _ her _ but it’s easier to blame the gloves than make Jaehwan worry. Hakyeon already does enough of that. “What’s the rush anyway? You’re just going to complain you’re cold after two minutes of being out there anyway.”

“I won’t.” 

“You will.” Taekwoon rolls his eyes. 

“I promise I won’t.” Jaehwan crosses his fingers. He winks when Taekwoon catches him and Taekwoon rolls his eyes again. 

“You’re impossible.” 

“But you love me anyway.” Jaehwan says. 

Taekwoon turns his back on him as he pulls on his coat so Jaehwan can’t see him smile, “you flatter yourself.”

In a second Jaehwan is stood in front of him- too quick for Taekwoon to drop his smile.

“Caught you.” Jaehwan teases, voice soft and eyes bright. 

“And?” 

The mood shifts and Taekwoon feels almost breathless.

“You do love me.” Jaehwan’s face is only centimetres from his now and his eyes flicker to Taekwoon’s lips. “I really want to kiss you.”

He can’t, though. Taekwoon doesn’t have anywhere near enough control over his powers. He probably never will.

He feels like crying. He pulls away and focuses on zipping up his coat, the mood ruined, “you know I can’t be trusted.” 

“One day.” Jaehwan says. 

“Maybe.” Taekwoon says. He pulls on a scarf and a hat. He thinks they might belong to Hongbin. He changes the subject, moves onto safer ground. “Where are we going on our walk?”

“Just to the trees, it’s too cold to go any further.” Jaehwan tells him with a shrug. He holds out his hand for Taekwoon to take. “Maybe we can make snow angels?”

“You should puts some gloves on.” Taekwoon says, stuffing his own hands into his pockets.

“Taekwoon…” Jaehwan says. He looks upset. “You’re not going to take anything, not even on accident.”

Taekwoon flushes, “I didn’t mean it like that, idiot. It’s cold outside- I don’t want you to get frostbite.”

Jaehwan’s expression softens, “you do care about me.” 

“Maybe just a little.” He knows Jaehwan knows the truth. “Put your gloves on and then we can hold hands.”


	7. Dream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Dream'

How long has he been asleep?

He’s not sure. It doesn’t feel like very long. He’s just so tired, his limbs are heavy and his head is throbbing. He wants to sleep until he feels rested, until his aches have vanished and he feels refreshed once again.

Except this sleep- it is not restful and there is no relief. He dreams of strange things. There are places he’s never been, faces he’s never seen, memories that are not his. He moves from one to another, watching and wondering, hoping to find someone or something that is familiar. He’s worried that he’s lost. He thinks he should be frightened but he’s just too tired.

He just wants to sink into oblivion.

“Can I rest here?” He asks the strangers in his dreams. “I’m so tired.”

“Who are you?” He gets asked in return. “Why are you here?  _ How _ are you here?” 

Taekwoon doesn’t know. 

He keeps on moving, keeps on going, even as he grows more and more exhausted. The dreams become hazier as he continues to move through them. They become wisps of things - thoughts and feelings and sounds - that he just can’t hold on to. 

The wisps fade away and then there’s nothing. Nothing but Taekwoon and the dark. It isn’t oblivion, not the kind he’d hoped for at least, but it calls to him. It wants him to give in and he’s tempted. He’s just so very tired. 

But then he thinks of the others- of Hakyeon and Jaehwan and Wonshik and Hongbin and Sanghyuk. He thinks of their smiles and their laughter, the warmth of their bodies through their clothes, the way they look at him with so much love in their eyes. He doesn’t think they’d want him to give into this darkness. 

He tries calling for them, weak as he is, desperate to see them again. He loves them so much. 

He’s surprised when he hears someone call his name back to him. 

“Hongbin?” Taekwoon asks because he knows that voice. 

“Taekwoon? Is that you?” Hongbin calls and Taekwoon forces his exhausted body to move towards his voice. It is like walking through tar but soon the darkness is replaced by wisps of things and then finally, finally Hongbin comes into view.  

He hasn’t stopped calling for Taekwoon for as long as it has taken him to find him. His voice has given Taekwoon the strength he’s needed to keep on going. 

Hongbin's face splits into a huge grin when Taekwoon finally reaches him, his whole body sagging with relief. 

“Where have you been?” Hongbin asks. “We’ve been trying to find you for so long. You need to wake up.”

“But I’m so tired.” Taekwoon says. His knees give out and Hongbin grabs at his t-shirt, slows his descent onto the floor. “I just want to sleep.”

“You’ve been sleeping for days now.” Hongbin pulls him onto his lap and cradles him to his chest. He kisses Taekwoon on the cheek and it’s okay because it’s just a dream. Taekwoon has always been able to touch in his dreams. “You need to wake up, love. We’ve all been so worried.” 

“Wake up?” He feels so hazy and confused.

“You need to wake up.” Hongbin pleads. “Please, Taekwoon. Wake up.” 

Taekwoon’s eyes slip closed and when he opens them again - minutes, hours, days later - he’s in a hospital bed. 

“He’s awake.” He hears someone says, voice coloured with relief. “He’s finally awake.”


	8. Bruise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Bruise'

Hongbin’s skin crawls. He feels like such an idiot, he knows he should have thrown the letter away the moment he got it. He definitely shouldn’t have opened it, let alone read it, but part of him had hoped that this time it would be different. Stupidly, he had hoped that his parents might have come to their senses at some point in the last twelve months since they had last written to him, that they might have changed their way of thinking, that they might want to treat him as their son again instead of something to  _ fix _ . 

He hates himself for hoping. They’re never going to change, he knows that. He does. He just doesn’t understand why it continues to hurt him so much, year after year. He’s not a kid anymore- he should be over this by now. 

He’s on edge as he goes into the kitchen, intent on getting himself a bottle of water and maybe something to eat. He’s not hungry but he had missed  breakfast and it’s almost noon already. He should eat. 

He looks in the fridge and then he begins rifling through the cabinets and there’s so much choice but there’s nothing that he  _ wants _ . It makes him feel frustrated even though he knows there’s nothing to be frustrated over. He knows it’s all in his head but knowing that doesn’t help him either. 

He slams the cupboard doors closed before going back to the fridge. There’s still nothing that he wants so he slams the door to the fridge closed, too. 

“Somebody’s in a mood.” 

Jaehwan is stood in the doorway in from the living room. He has his arms crossed over his chest and he is wearing that half-smile that Hongbin usually loves but just really doesn’t want to see at that moment. It usually means that Jaehwan is up to no good and Hongbin is just really not in the mood. 

“Go away.” 

“Why should I? I have just as much right to be in the kitchen as you do.” Jaehwan tells him. “It’s where the food is and I’m hungry.” 

“There’s nothing to eat.” Hongbin yanks open the freezer door and a couple of boxes of potato waffles fall out and land on his socked feet. He hisses in pain and feels anger flare in his chest. “Are you fucking kidding me? Who the fuck-.”

“Weren’t you the one who put the groceries away yesterday?” Jaehwan interrupts with a smirk. “So, it’s your own fault really.”

Hongbin doesn’t even think. There’s a dirty tablespoon that someone has left out on the kitchen island that he sends hurtling in Jaehwan’s direction.

Jaehwan side steps out of the way just as Hongbin expects him to. What he doesn’t expect is for someone to step into the doorway in his place. 

Taekwoon lets out a shout of pain as the spoon hits him in the face with a solid sounding  _ thunk _ . Hongbin’s heart drops, his anger forgotten, because he had thrown that spoon hard, knowing it would never hit its target. He freezes for a moment and watches as Taekwoon drops down onto his knees and cradles his face in his hands. 

“Shit, Taekwoon!” Jaehwan is already at his side, hands outstretched. “Are you okay?”

Taekwoon flinches away from him, “don’t touch me.”

Hongbin staggers towards them, his heart pounding, and he feels sick. He hadn’t meant to hurt anyone. 

“Oh, god, I’m so sorry, Taekwoon.” Hongbin kneels down next to them but he doesn’t try to touch. Even with his layers, he knows Taekwoon doesn’t like to be touched. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to… Let us look at your face- are you bleeding?”

Taekwoon shakes his head and slowly moves his hands away. Jaehwan swears and Hongbin tastes bile at the back of his throat because Taekwoon’s left eye is swollen and painful and is already bruising black.


	9. Regret

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Regret'

He regrets the words as soon as they leave his mouth but he’s angry and he’s frustrated and there’s no way he can take them back now. 

“If you want to leave,” Hakyeon says, his voice and his face blank, “then you can leave- there’s no one keeping you here, Taekwoon.”

“Fine.” Taekwoon says and he tries to ignore the way his stomach twists. “I’m leaving.” 

He storms up to his room and he grabs his bag from under his bed. It’s already mostly packed - he knows this day has been coming for a while, after all, it has always been his plan to run away - so he only needs to throw in his toothbrush and and an extra set of clothes and he’s ready to go. 

He stomps down the stairs and through the front door and no one tries to stop him, no one even tries to say goodbye, and he knows he’s been an idiot. Of course no one is going to stop him- he’s been their prisoner, a burden they can now finally be free from. None of them actually  _ liked  _ him. All he did was take and take and ruin and take. They’re probably all rubbing their hands together with glee, glad to finally see the back of him.

The sky overhead grows dark as he runs down the winding path that is the drive and it’s raining by the time he reaches the main road. He’s soaked to the bone within minutes. He knows that the rain is Hakyeon’s doing because it had come too quickly to be natural. He curses him. Why couldn’t he just let Taekwoon go? Why did he have to punish him for leaving, too? He’s only doing what Hakyeon wanted him to do. 

It’s a couple of miles to the nearest town and Taekwoon doesn’t see a single car on the road the entire time he’s walking. The rain slows the further he gets away from the house and then finally stops a mile or so before he gets into town. 

He’s only been into town once before and that was with Wonshik and Sanghyuk. They had shown him around so Taekwoon knows exactly where he needs to go to find the train station. He has just enough money for a ticket into the city but he’s just missed a train and has an hour to wait for the next one. He doesn’t mind. He sits on one of the benches on the platform and cradles his head in his hands. 

‘You should have known.’ He tells himself. ‘They never cared for you. You should have never stayed so long, you shouldn’t have let them trick you.’

His head is pounding and he feels like crying but he doesn’t. He’s too tired to cry.

The platform is empty except for him until it isn’t. There’s a soft  _ pop _ and suddenly there’s someone sat on the bench next to him. He tenses because he knows that noise, he’s heard it a hundred times before. It has haunted his dreams for months. 

He looks up and  _ she _ smiles at him.

“Hello, Taekwoon.”

She puts a hand on his arm before he can jerk out of reach and with  _ pop _ they are both gone.


	10. Joy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Joy'

Taekwoon’s heart is racing and his hands are shaking but Hakyeon still smiles at him. There is so much love and trust in his eyes that Taekwoon can’t help but be afraid.

“It’s going to be okay.” He says and his breath feels warm on Taekwoon’s face. “You can do this, I know you can.”

“I’m frightened.” Taekwoon confesses, eyes flicking down to his gloved hands. “I don’t want to take anything. I… I don’t want to hurt you.” 

Hakyeon cups his cheeks with his own gloved hands and he lifts Taekwoon’s head so that their eyes meet once more, “you won’t. Your control has gotten so good these last few months, I know it’s not going to slip now. I trust you.” 

‘You shouldn’t.’ Is the thought that immediately appears in his mind but he pushes it away. He’s worked so hard. He wants this. He deserves this.

“Are you ready?” Taekwoon asks, feeling slightly breathless. 

Hakyeon nods, “whenever you are.” 

Taekwoon’s heart feels like it’s going to burst out of his chest as he closes the distance between them. He hesitates for the briefest of seconds, his mouth millimetres from Hakyeon’s, before brushing his lips against Hakyeon’s in the most fleeting of kisses. 

He pulls away quickly but there’s nothing new, he hasn’t taken or borrowed anything. There’s nothing coursing through his veins or filling his thoughts except pure, unbridled happiness.

He laughs. 

“I told you.” Hakyeon is laughing, too, his expression as bright as the sun. “You did so well, my love.”

“I want to kiss you again.” Taekwoon is already moving forwards. “And I want to kiss the others, too. I want to show them how much I love them.”

Hakyeon is the one who kisses him this time and it is as swift as their first but no less electrifying. Taekwoon’s joy swells.

“They’ll have to form a queue.” Hakyeon teases. He brushes some of Taekwoon’s hair out of his eyes. “They’ll all be so excited.”

Taekwoon nods. He’s excited, too. 


	11. Swim

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Swim'

Taekwoon can’t swim but he doesn’t mind watching the others have fun in the pool. The weather is hot and the last couple of weeks have been hard. He knows that they deserve some time to relax and let off steam. Tempers have been running high recently.

They go to the pool in town. It’s an outside one, only open in the summer months, and it’s busy with all kinds of people: families with young children, teenagers and groups of young adults like themselves. The atmosphere is nice even if there are a few too many people for Taekwoon’s taste. He’s never been good with crowds. Thankfully they manage to get loungers tucked just out of the way by the pool bar and in some much needed shade. 

Taekwoon looks after the bags while the others go play in the pool. He hasn’t got a great view of them today, not like he did when they came last month, but he can still see them well enough to make out their smiles and know that they’re enjoying themselves. It makes love well up in his heart. They deserve to be happy- it’s all he wants for them. 

“Mister.” A little voice says close to his ear, startling him from watching the others in the pool. “Mister, why are you dressed so funny? It’s really hot.”

There’s a little girl stood by his side. She’s dressed in a frilly purple swimsuit and her long hair is scraped back into a pretty bun. She doesn’t look to be older than five or six. 

“I’m not dressed funny.” Taekwoon tells her. He has on a long linen shirt and light trousers as well as a pair of thin gloves and socks. He hadn’t thought he had looked bad when they’d left the house this morning. “I just- I have something wrong with my skin. I can’t get too much sun on it or else… i just need to keep covered up.” 

It’s the usual excuse he gives when they’re out in public.

The little girl considers him for a moment before saying, “you are very pale.” 

Taekwoon laughs, “I am.”

“My mommy and daddy make sure that I wear a lot of sunscreen when we go to the pool. Have you got some on?” She asks. 

Taekwoon looks down at his arms and his hands and his legs and asks, “where?” 

“On here, silly.” She says and, before he can stop her, she reaches out and pats him on the cheek. 

Taekwoon jerks away from her touch and he feels the familiar rush flood through his veins as the little girl starts to scream. He’s taken something. He can tell he’s taken instead of borrowed because the rush is just that much stronger, his head is swimming with it. 

He feels disorientated. The sun is suddenly far too bright and there’s too much- there’s too much  _ colour _ . Everywhere he looks, even when he closes his eyes. 

_ It’s too much. _

“I can’t see!” The little girl screams. “Mommy! Mommy! I can’t see!”

Taekwoon’s heart stops.


	12. Tree

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Tree'

“Sanghyuk, move!” 

The warning almost comes too late. Sanghyuk leaps to the side but it’s not enough to completely miss the barrage of energy blasts that are sent his way. Most of them hit the tree behind him but one catches him the midsection and he hisses in pain as he hits the floor and rolls to a stop. He lays there for a moment and he feels the bright green energy as it crackles and burns. 

He fights to catch his breath as the battle continues to rage around him. It’s raining and the forest they’re in is dark, only illuminated by the dim light of the moon, but he can still see most of the others. Jaehwan is just to his left, covering him and taking on two assailants at once, his fists and his feet moving quicker than Sanghyuk can keep up with, and Wonshik’s whole body is engulfed in flames as he zooms between the trees on the tail of the person who had taken aim at him. Hongbin is locked in a fight with a woman who spits acid while Hakyeon causes lightning to split the sky and wind to rip at the trees and at their clothes from high overhead. There’s another of their enemy up there in the sky with him but Sanghyuk doesn’t know what they can do. It doesn’t really matter. Hakyeon is more than a match for them.

Taekwoon drops to his knees at Sanghyuk’s side. His mask is slightly askew and there’s a cut on his cheek but he otherwise looks okay. He gives Sanghyuk a worried look as he helps him sit up.

“Are you okay?” He asks and he has to shout to make himself heard over the rumble of thunder. 

Sanghyuk presses a hand to his side and nods. It hurts like hell but it’s nothing serious- he’s definitely had worse before.

“I’ll be fine.” He tells him. “How far away are we from-?” 

There’s another burst of green energy then and Taekwoon shoves him to the floor, covering him with his own body, just in time for it to fly harmlessly overhead. 

“Shit, that was close.” He says but then there’s a terrible cracking sound and, suddenly, the tree behind them is toppling forwards.

There isn’t time to move- there isn’t time to do anything. Sanghyuk clenches his eyes closed and waits for the pain. 

It doesn’t come. 

He pulls his eyes open and he sees Taekwoon stood over him. He has his hands up over his head and Sanghyuk can see his muscles straining through the material of his uniform as he keeps the great weight of the tree from crushing them. 

“Move.” He hisses. “I don’t know how much longer-.”

Sanghyuk immediately scrabbles to the side, just in time for Taekwoon’s arms to give. The tree falls to the floor with a solid  _ thud _ and Taekwoon turns to look at him with wide eyes. 

“How did you do that?” Sanghyuk asks.

“I don’t… I borrowed a power yesterday but I didn’t-.” He cuts himself off and he ducks out of the way of a chunk of ice in the shape of a spear. 

Now isn’t the time to talk about it, Sanghyuk knows, but later, when they get home, they’re going to have a long conversation about this.


	13. Spring

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Spring'
> 
> This is turning more and more into a fic (albeit the most weirdly constructed one I've ever written) the more I write. I have 18/19 ficlets written all together so far. 
> 
> Please let me know if you have any questions!

The air is fresh as Jaehwan breathes it in.

He smiles. There are birds in the blue sky overhead and the sun is shining brightly. His jacket is tied around his waist, unneeded after all. It’s the nicest day they’ve had of this year yet.

“A perfect day for new beginnings.” He says to himself. 

The road from town is a long one but he’d been told to expect that. He doesn’t mind. It’s nice to just get out and walk. He feels like he’s been trapped for such a long time. And he has, he supposes, his whole life. He’s always had to hide who he is- even now he walks instead of sprinting to his destination. He could have been there already if he used his powers. 

‘There’s nothing wrong with savouring the day.’ He reasons with himself. ‘It’s nice enough.’ 

A couple of cars drive passed, going in the opposite direction, but he pays them no mind. None of them slow, they don’t even seem to notice he’s there, walking along the side of the road. He wonders where they’ve come from and where they’re going. He wonders if they’re normal people or mutants like him. He wonders how much they have to hide. 

The turn off is mostly hidden between trees and shrubs and Jaehwan thinks he might have missed it if he hadn’t been told what to look out for. Excitement bubbles in his belly as he takes the long winding path up to the house, moving much faster now that he’s out of sight of the road. It’s a big building made from light coloured stone with large windows and a green front door. It looks inviting. It looks like home.

He uses the knocker perhaps a little bit too enthusiastically and bounces on the balls of his feet as he waits for door to be answered.

The door opens and a young man appears. Jaehwan immediately sticks his hand out for it to be shaken.

“You must be Hakyeon.” He says, his smile bright. “Pleased to meet you at long last. I’m Jaehwan.” 

Hakyeon hesitantly shakes his hand, giving him an uncertain smile, “have we met before?” 

“No but I know you can help me.” Jaehwan tells him. He slips passed Hakyeon and steps into the foyer. It’s painted a pretty yellow and the floor and the furniture are made of a solid oak. He takes a deep breath in and laughs. It smells like home. 

“How do you know that?” Hakyeon asks. He’s not moved away from the open doorway yet, obviously still a bit uncertain. “There aren’t many people who know where to find us.” 

“I stayed with one of your friends in the city. Wonshik? He’s a really good guy. He told me to come here- said that you had a spare room going.” He turns to face Hakyeon again, his smile still bright. “He said that you help people like me.” 

Hakyeon’s expression softens and the tension leaks from his shoulders, “I do. Welcome to your new home, Jaehwan.” 

He closes the door.


	14. Sunrise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Sunrise'
> 
> This is a follow up to 'regret'. Please let me know if you have any questions or if you're enjoying it or whatever- it's nice to hear from you!

The sky is just starting to turn pink when they make it out of the main compound. There are alarms blaring and heavy, acrid smoke filling their lungs. Wonshik is having a hard time controlling his temper and he can feel fire licking at his fingers. 

“You need to calm down.” Hakyeon hisses at him, as if the wind isn’t howling and storm clouds aren’t gathering. They’re stood in a doorway overlooking the main courtyard, waiting for Jaehwan to get back and tell them which way out is going to be the easiest.

“I’m going to kill her.” Wonshik tells him. “When I get my hands on her…”

“I know.” Hakyeon says. “I know but there isn’t time now. We need to get out of here.”

“He’s not-.” Sanghyuk starts before adjusting the limp Taekwoon in his arms. “I don’t think he’s breathing right.”

“Hakyeon.” Hongbin says. He’s fiddling with a long, sharp knife. “The jet is at the other side of the forest. Even if we get out of here-.”

Hakyeon cuts him off, shooting a worried look at Taekwoon, “I know. We’re running out of time.”

Jaehwan arrives back then and he looks uncharacteristically serious as he ushers them to follow him, “we need to move quickly, there are people everywhere.”

They make it across the courtyard and through a gate before they are spotted. Wonshik shoots flames at the group of men that charge after them and Hongbin melts down his knife and shoots it at their attackers like bullets. 

“This way!” Jaehwan calls over his shoulder and he leads them through a small building and then another courtyard and then they’re at the main gate. 

There are guards already waiting for them.

“ _ Guys _ .” The fear in Sanghyuk’s voice has them all looking at him. “He-.”

Taekwoon’s lips are blue. 

Wonshik swears, “we need to get out of here.”

“Take him- fly back to the jet and Jaehwan can run and meet you there.” Hakyeon says to him. “We’ll cover your backs. Don’t wait for us.”

Wonshik freezes, “are you sure?”

Hakyeon nods, his face pulled into determined frown, “we’ll meet you at home.”

Wonshik carefully takes Taekwoon into his arms and he locks eyes with Hakyeon for just a moment before taking off into the ever-darkening sky. He sees the blur of Jaehwan running passed the guards and through the gates and feels the air crackle with electricity. 

He flies towards the rising sun. 


	15. Apple

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Apple'

Wonshik pauses at the entrance to the kitchen, shocked for a moment, before carrying on with his task of getting bottles of water from the fridge.

“You okay?” He asks. 

Taekwoon is sat crossed legged on the kitchen island, taking the place of the fruit bowl which has been pushed to the side, and he is rolling an apple from one gloved hand to the other. Wonshik has no idea where he picked up the habit of sitting on the counter from but he knows what it means. It’s something Taekwoon does when he wants attention but doesn’t know how to ask for it. 

It’s been months since Wonshik last saw him up there.

“Have you ever baked an apple pie before?” Taekwoon asks instead of answering Wonshik’s question. 

Wonshik shakes his head, “I’ve never baked anything before but we both know I wouldn’t be any good- I always burn everything.”

“I haven't baked one either.” Taekwoon tells him. “But when I was little I took a recipe for an apple pie from the old lady who lived next door. I’ve always wanted to try it out.”

“Maybe when Hakyeon gets back?” Wonshik suggests. 

Taekwoon smiles but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes and he puts the apple back in the fruit bowl.

“Do you want to come outside?” Wonshik asks. “I’ve been playing basketball with Hongbin but we’re going to switch to something else because Jaehwan and Hyuk want to play, too. Not sure what yet, just something Jaehwan can only cheat a little bit at.” 

“Sounds good.” Taekwoon says but he doesn’t make to move. 

“We can play soccer if you’d like?” Wonshik waggles his eyebrows. He knows that Taekwoon likes soccer. “It’s a nice day outside.” 

“I’m good, thanks.” Taekwoon’s smile looks almost brittle and Wonshik’s heart twists. He wishes Hakyeon were home, he’d know what to say- what to do. 

“Okay, well, we’ll be outside if you change your mind.” Wonshik says after a minute and he grabs four bottles of water. 

He feels Taekwoon’s eyes on his back as he leaves the kitchen.

“What took you so long?” Hongbin asks when he joins back up with the others on the huge lawn behind the house. Jaehwan and Sanghyuk are playing catch but they break off to get some water when they see Wonshik. “I was just about to come looking for you. I thought you’d gotten lost.” 

Wonshik hands out the bottles of water but he feels uneasy as the others start to argue about what game they want to play. 

“Maybe,” he starts, cutting Jaehwan off mid-sentence, “we could bake an apple pie instead?”


	16. Heartbeat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Heartbeat' 
> 
> Please let me know what you think!!

“I can hear your heart beating.” Taekwoon murmurs, breaking the silence and pulling Sanghyuk from his doze. “It’s not going very fast.” 

Sanghyuk hums in response and pets at Taekwoon’s hair. He has a pair of gloves on so he’s not in any danger of touching Taekwoon’s skin- it’s something Taekwoon has insisted on for moments like these. They make him feel a bit too warm but he doesn’t really mind if it makes Taekwoon feel better. 

“Is it meant to be going so slowly?” Taekwoon asks. 

“It’s because I’m relaxed.” Sanghyuk tells him without opening his eyes. “Didn’t you study the human body during biology classes at school?” 

“Probably.” Taekwoon shifts his head slightly where it’s resting on Sanghyuk’s chest. “I skipped a lot of school.”

Sanghyuk isn’t surprised. The public school system can be unkind to people like them, people who are different. He’s heard enough stories from Jaehwan and Hongbin as well as others who had attended the private school he had, the one run especially for mutants and the place where he’d met Hakyeon and Wonshik, following time in ‘normal’ schools. He doesn’t want to think about what school must have been like for any of them. 

They lapse into silence again and Sanghyuk lets himself fall into a doze once more. 

He doesn’t know how long it is later that he’s pulled from sleep or even what wakes him. He reaches out for Taekwoon but he’s gone, the side of the bed he had been on already cold.

“Taekwoon?” He asks as he pushes himself upright and tries to blink away his remaining drowsiness. 

His room isn’t too big so it isn’t long before his eyes land on Taekwoon. He’s sat on the window seat with his face pressed against the glass and knees pulled up his chest, eyes fixed on the dull, grey world outside. 

“When did you get up?” Sanghyuk asks. He props himself up on the pillows but doesn’t otherwise move. He’s warm and comfortable and there isn’t really room for the two of them on the window seat. They’ve tried before. “Did you not nap?”

“I’m not tired.”

“You just wanted to cuddle?” Sanghyuk feels a small smile pulling at his lips. 

Taekwoon looks at him then and the smile immediately slips from Sanghyuk’s face when he sees the tears in the other’s eyes.

“Do you think I deserve to be cuddled?” Taekwoon asks and his voice wobbles. “I’ve done so many terrible things.” 

Sanghyuk’s heart starts to race, “what do you mean?” 

“That little girl.” Taekwoon says. “I stole her eyesight. It’s been months but I can still hear her screaming whenever I close my eyes. She was- she was just a little kid and I took so much from her.”

“It was an accident.” Sanghyuk tells him, his voice firm. They’ve had this conversation a hundred times over. “You didn’t know she was going to try touching you or else you would have stopped her.”

“How am I meant to live with myself?” Taekwoon asks, turning his gaze back to the outside world. “How am I meant to live like everything is okay knowing how much I’ve stolen? How many lives I’ve destroyed?” 

Sanghyuk gets out of bed and goes to stand at the window. He pulls Taekwoon to him and holds him close, feels Taekwoon’s tears soak into the thin fabric of his t-shirt as he buries his face in Sanghyuk’s stomach. 

There’s nothing more that Sanghyuk can say. They’ve all had accidents, they’ve all hurt people, but Taekwoon has had so many, has hurt so many. Most of them haven’t been his fault but it doesn’t make the consequences any less terrible. Sanghyuk had found it hard to look at him that first week after the incident with the little girl at the pool. They all had.

“Do you think,” Taekwoon starts once his tears have slowed and he’s resting his head face against the window once more, no longer in Sanghyuk’s hold, “that I’ll ever learn to give back?”

“I don’t know.” Sanghyuk answers honestly.

“That’s what  _ she _ wanted me to do, when she took me.” Taekwoon says with a shudder and Sanghyuk’s eyes widen. It’s been nearly two years and not once has Taekwoon spoken about the three weeks he had spent as  _ her  _ captive. “She wanted me to take powers from other mutants and give them to her. I refused and she- and she… She tried to convince me that I would be doing a lot of good, that I could take powers from those who didn’t want them and give them to those more deserving. But I- I  _ couldn’t _ , I didn’t want to take anyone’s power, I didn’t know those people. She brought so many of them into the room she was keeping me in. I didn’t know if they hated their powers or not, whether she was telling the truth, so I took other things instead- bad memories, useless facts. She got so  _ angry _ .” 

“You’ve never told us any of this before.” Sanghyuk murmurs and his heart aches. 

“I want to learn to give back.” Taekwoon tells him. “I want to do some good.”

“You will.” Sanghyuk says. “I know you will.”


	17. Celebrate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Celebrate'

Hakyeon has been told to keep out of the kitchen until after dinner which is fine. Taekwoon is conspicuously missing from the breakfast picnic the others take him on and the whole house smells of cake when they get back so he knows what’s going on. Even if he hadn’t been able to guess, there has been the same tradition for the last three or four years now. It makes him feel giddy- almost like a little kid again. 

It’s a beautiful day outside - Hakyeon always makes sure of that on his birthday - so they eat lunch out on the patio behind the house. It’s only a light meal because birthday dinners are usually more like a feast with cake and presents afterwards. Taekwoon brings out seaweed soup and a couple of side dishes as well as the bread he had baked the day before and they all sing happy birthday even though they’ll be doing it again that evening when the cake is brought out. Hakyeon wonders what his cake will look and taste like this year.

After lunch, Taekwoon and Jaehwan disappear into the kitchen while the rest of them go into town for a few hours. Hakyeon leads them around his favourite shops and the others oblige him because it’s his birthday. He knows that usually they’d be moaning and complaining and be asking to go home- or at least Hongbin and Sanghyuk would. Wonshik is usually very good about these things, even enthusiastic at times. He’s Hakyeon’s favourite person to go shopping with even if their tastes don’t quite match up.

“We should go shopping in the city one day.” Wonshik says. He’s bought them coffees from one of the little cafes they like while they wait on Hongbin and Sanghyuk to get done in the video game store. “There’s a lot more choice.” 

“Maybe next week?” Hakyeon suggests. “We can leave the others at home.”

Wonshik smiles at him, “and make it into a date?” 

“Yeah.” Hakyeon smiles, too. 

There are a couple more stores Hakyeon wants to go to and then they grab coffees to take back with them. They listen to the radio and sing along to a lot of the songs on their short journey. Hakyeon feels happy and content.

The feeling doesn’t last long. 

The front door is open when they get home. They think it’s one of Jaehwan’s jokes at first, that it’s a setup for something bigger, but when they get inside it becomes immediately apparent that something terrible has happened. Furniture is overturned and picture frames have been knocked off of the walls. There is food everywhere in the kitchen and Hakyeon’s birthday cake is on the floor. There is blood and bodies and scorch marks but there is no sign of Jaehwan or Taekwoon anywhere.

They’re gone.


	18. Fireplace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Fireplace'

Wonshik raises an eyebrow as Hakyeon flicks on the blinker and makes to turn right. There’s just trees and shrubs and- then he sees it, the little dirt road. 

“I thought you were going to drive us into a tree.” Wonshik mutters. 

Hakyeon laughs as they drive down the path, “why would I drive you all the way out here to do that?” 

Wonshik shrugs. 

The round a bend and the house comes into view. Wonshik lets out a low whistle.

“It’s nice, isn’t it?” Hakyeon asks. 

“It’s huge.” Wonshik says. He doesn’t ask how he can afford it, he knows that Hakyeon’s parents were well off and that they’d left everything to him when they had died a couple of years earlier. “How did you even find this place?”

“I spent the whole of last summer searching- I looked at so many different houses but when I saw this one I knew it was the one. It just felt like home, you know? There was loads of stuff that needed doing on it but it was worth it. It’s pretty much ready to move in now.”

Hakyeon pulls to a stop at the bottom of the stairs that lead up to the green front door and they both get out. The sun is warm on the bare skin of Wonshik’s arms and he takes a couple of minutes to bask in it and stretch his muscles out after the long drive from the city.

“You ready?” Hakyeon asks. The door to the house is wide open and Hakyeon looks happy, happier than Wonshik has seen him in a long time.

Wonshik nods, “let’s go.”

Hakyeon gives him a tour of the downstairs first, taking him through the foyer into the living room, the kitchen, the dining room, a study and then another living room. There’s no furniture yet but Hakyeon tells him about what he wants to put where and Wonshik makes sure to compliment his choices. He thinks it’s going to look nice once Hakyeon has everything how he wants it.

They go upstairs next and Hakyeon shows him the room he’s chosen for himself. It’s at the back of the house, overlooking a huge rolling lawn that leads onto a forest of trees, and it already has a huge bed in place. There are a couple more bedrooms, all of them ensuite, on that side of the house and then even more when they walk across the galleried landing that overlooks the foyer. 

“This place is huge.” Wonshik says. “Aren’t you going to get lonely out here by yourself in such a big house?” 

“I’m not going to be alone.” Hakyeon tells him. He pushes the door to another bedroom open. This one has a large bay window that looks out onto the drive. “Sanghyuk has already called dibs on this room. It’s one of the smaller ones but I think he just really liked the window.” 

“It’s nice.” Wonshik agrees, beginning to feel uneasy. He thinks he knows what’s coming next. 

Hakyeon shows him the room at the end of the hallway next, “I thought you might like this one.” 

Wonshik steps into the room. Like everything in this house, it’s huge. The floor isn’t carpeted like the other bedrooms but is instead the same oak he’s seen in the rest of the house. There are a couple of windows with a large fireplace in between them and the walls are painted a deep purple. 

Hakyeon walks over the fireplace and pats the mantle, “it’s the only working fireplace in the whole house. I thought you might find it useful.” 

“Hakyeon…” 

“Don’t be like that with me. We spoke about this so much- we made plans.”

“We were kids.”

“It wasn’t that long ago.” Hakyeon argues. “You said you wanted this. You said you wanted to build a team, join Faction and fight for what’s right. What’s changed?” 

Wonshik runs a hand through his hair and turns to look out of the window. 

“You know what my mother saw- you can’t run from it forever.” Hakyeon tells him, his voice soft. “Whether you like it or not, you’re one of the six. We’re going to save the world, Wonshik.”


	19. Clock

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Clock'

_ Tick _ .

_ Tick. _

_ Tick. _

Hongbin looks away from the clock and back down at the worksheet he’s meant to be completing. It’s math and usually he doesn’t mind it too much but today he just can’t concentrate. The teacher has told them that they need to have it finished before they can go home and he’s only two questions in with the bell only ten minutes away. There’s no way he’s going to be finished in time. He hopes that the teacher keeps her word but she’s one of the nice teachers and will probably let him go anyway because he’s usually such a good student. 

But Hongbin… Hongbin doesn’t want to go home. He wants an excuse to stay at school for as long as possible. He doesn’t want to see his parents. 

He had told them last night, had shown them what he could do, and they had- his mom had  _ screamed _ and his dad had been so, so angry. He had been afraid he was going to hit him but he hadn’t. He had sent Hongbin up to his room instead.

Hongbin doesn’t know what he had expected. He knows his parents’ feelings about mutants but he had hoped they would take it better than that. He is their son and they’ve always been so supportive, always made sure to show him how much they loved him. He doesn’t understand what’s changed. He’s still the same person he was before he told them and they had loved him then. Why can’t they love him now?

The bell goes and Hongbin still hasn’t gotten any further than the second question. He puts his pen down and buries his head in his arms and listens as the rest of the class pack up and leave for the day. They chat happily to one another and it just makes the sadness Hongbin is feeling weigh more heavily on his shoulders. 

Why can’t he be happy, too?

He hears the door close and the soft  _ clack _ of Mrs Shin’s shoes on the linoleum. She sits down at the desk next to his and Hongbin can feel her gaze on his shaking shoulders.

“Do you want to talk about it?” She asks, her voice soft. 

Hongbin shakes his head, “you’d just hate me, too.”

“I don’t hate anyone.” She says. “Hatred takes up so much energy- I’m too old and far too busy for that.”

“You’d hate me.” He tells her. “My parents do.”

“Have you had an argument?” 

“They’re angry at me. I- I told them something about myself last night and I knew they’d be mad but I thought- I thought… I’m their son. I had hoped it wouldn’t matter.” Hongbin knows he’s rambling, knows he shouldn’t be saying any of this but Mrs Shin has always been so kind to him before and he’s in desperate need of some kindness right now. “I haven’t hurt anyone or done anything wrong. I’m still  _ me _ .”

He pushes himself up and wipes angrily at his wet eyes.

“I’m still me.” He says again. 

“They might come around.”

Hongbin shakes his head, “they hate mutants.”

He freezes. 

He hadn’t meant to say that. He hadn’t wanted to tell her- it had just slipped out. He didn’t want her to know. He didn’t-. 

“Hongbin.” Her voice is calm and as warm as it usually is. “Look at me.” 

He shakes his head. He’s frightened. 

“Look at me, Hongbin.” 

There’s something about her voice- he doesn’t think she sounds angry or disgusted. He looks up and meets her eyes.

“I know that things are hard right now and they probably will be for a while yet but don’t give up, okay? You have nothing to be ashamed of- not a single thing. And I know it’s hard now but there’ll come a time when you’re surrounded by people who are like you and who will love you for everything that you are.” She holds out a hand to him. “But, until then, just know that you’re not alone.”

A single flower grows from her palm and it blooms before his eyes.


	20. Telephone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Telephone'

They don’t get signal at the house so there’s a telephone on the desk in Hakyeon’s study. There are only a handful of people who know the number - Sanghyuk’s parents, Hakyeon’s Faction contacts, a couple of others - so it doesn’t ring very often. It’s useful to have, though- their link to the outside world.

It’s late afternoon and Hakyeon is curled up on the couch in the corner of room, book in hand and very much looking for an escape from the world at large. Jaehwan has been at the house for a week now and Hakyeon is still trying to get used to the happy chaos that he’s brought with him. It’s a big change given how quiet the house had been- even with Hongbin joining them at the end of the year before, the house had felt cold and empty. Jaehwan has made it feel more like a home. 

Hakyeon smiles to himself and slots his bookmark into place before putting his book on the floor. He stretches and yawns and wonders if he has time for a nap before dinner. It’s Sanghyuk’s turn to cook tonight so there’s nothing Hakyeon needs to do beforehand. He lets his eyes slip closed and takes a couple of deep breaths and then-.

The phone begins to ring. 

Hakyeon’s eyes spring open and he pushes himself upright with a frown. He’s not expecting a phonecall. 

He picks up on the fifth ring, “hello?” 

“Hakyeon.” 

Warmth floods through his veins at the familiar voice and he smiles, “I’ve been waiting for you to call.” 

Wonshik lets out a breathy snort, “Jaehwan made it, then? I wasn’t fully convinced he was listening when I was giving him directions.” 

“He made it.” Hakyeon tells him with a laugh. “The house hasn’t known peace since he got here but it’s actually… It’s really nice. He’s helped bring Hongbin out from his shell and Sanghyuk loves having someone new to tease.” 

Wonshik hums. 

“He’s a good person to have around.” Hakyeon says. “I’m glad he found his way to us. Thank you, Wonshik.”

Wonshik hesitates for a moment before speaking, “is he… Is he-?”

“The messenger? I thought you didn’t believe in my mother’s vision?” Hakyeon asks. 

“It’s not that I don’t believe- I know what your mother could do. It’s just that…” Wonshik trails off and Hakyeon hears him sigh. “Who do we have left to find?” 

“The thief.” Hakyeon answers. He’s read the notes his mother had made on her vision a hundred times over. “But Mom said that we wouldn’t find him until much later.”

They lapse into silence then and Hakyeon’s heart aches.

“When are you coming back?” He asks. 

“Soon.” Wonshik promises. “I just need a little more time. I’ll be back soon.”


	21. Gift

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Gift'
> 
> This is a follow on from 'celebrate'.

Not all days are good days, Jaehwan knows. 

The day dawns and the sky is overcast, threatening rain. Jaehwan pulls on a hoodie after crawling out of bed and a thick pair of socks, too, before going into his ensuite to brush his teeth and wash his face. He’s exhausted despite sleeping for over twelve hours and his body is sore and stiff. He’s hungry, though, hungry enough to go in search of food instead of collapsing back in bed and sleeping another twelve hours like he wants to. 

The house is cold and quiet. He wonders whether the others are still asleep as he makes his way across the hallway and down the stairs. It’s still early so it wouldn’t surprise him. The others had probably stayed up late into the night once they had gotten back while Jaehwan had retreated into his room to crash. 

There are leftovers in the fridge and he sticks them in the microwave without looking to see what they are. He downs a bottle of water and eats two bananas while he waits and it helps to stop his hands from shaking so badly. He’s not eaten much at all the past few days and he knows he needs to make up for lost calories. His powers take a lot out of him. 

_ His powers.  _

He throws the fork he’s been using to stir his leftovers across the room and sprints to catch it before it hits the floor just because he can. It settles something in his chest, some part of him he hadn’t realised was still hurting. 

He takes his breakfast out onto the patio, not bothering to close the door behind himself. The house could do with some fresh air, he thinks. 

There’s a soft breeze and the smell of rain on the air. It’s cool for July but Jaehwan knows it’s just a break in the weather. It’ll be hot again in a couple of days. He glad of the coolness, of the freshness of the breeze, because it reminds him that he’s free. 

He sits out on the patio long after he’s finished eating. He can hear the distant rumble of an approaching storm but it doesn’t bother him. He’ll stay outside until it starts to rain, he decides, and then he’ll go back inside and get a second helping of leftovers to take up to bed with him. Hakyeon doesn’t like them eating in bed but Jaehwan doubts he’ll notice if he does it just this once. He has bigger things to worry about at the moment. 

He hears footsteps approach but he doesn’t look to see who it is. He’s too tired.

“I brought you more breakfast.” Sanghyuk says as he places a mug and a stack of toast down on the table in front of him. “Thought you might need it.” 

Jaehwan is most of the way through the toast when Sanghyuk reappears at the patio table with his own mug and the fruit bowl from the kitchen island. 

“Didn’t know how hungry you’d still be.” Sanghyuk explains when Jaehwan gives him a questioning look.

They sit in silence for a long time and watch the storm move ever closer. 

Sanghyuk clears his throat and asks Jaehwan the question he knows he’s going to be asked a hundred times over the next few days, “are you okay?”

“Of course.” Jaehwan answers. “I’m still alive, aren’t I?”

Sanghyuk rolls his eyes and sets his mug down on the table, “you’re never serious about this kind of thing.”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Jaehwan tells him and then at Sanghyuk’s disapproving look quickly adds, “not yet, at least. It’s all- it’s all too fresh. It was horrible, Hyuk, the things she did… The things she made Taekwoon do…” 

He closes his eyes and shakes his head, trying to rid his head of memories from the last few days. He’s not ready to think about it yet.

“How is he?” He asks instead.

“Hakyeon said he’ll be okay.” 

“That’s good.” 

Jaehwan drains his mug just as the first drops of rain start to fall. He tilts his head up to the sky and lets the rain hit his face.

“Come on.” Sanghyuk says, already on his feet. “You’re going to get wet.”

Jaehwan takes a deep breath and he feels something like relief spread through his veins.

“Every day is a gift.” It’s something his mom had said a lot growing up. “Even moments like these should be treasured because it means we’re still alive.”


	22. Mountain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Mountain'

Sanghyuk  _ hates _ going to Faction headquarters. Built into a mountain on the opposite side of the city to where they live, it’s out of the way and the debriefs they’re forced to attend there often drag out already lengthy missions. Sanghyuk hates it.

But, worst of all, are the check ups they have to attend every three months. 

“Do we really have to go?” He whines as the mountain comes into view. “We can just turn the jet around and tell that something came up, come back next quarter.” 

Hakyeon is sat in the co-pilot’s chair. He shakes his head at Sanghyuk and presses a couple of buttons on the console in front of them, “you know we can’t, not if we want to keep getting missions.”

“They’re terrible, though.” Sanghyuk pouts. “The absolute worst. I hate that place.”

“You’re being dramatic.” Hakyeon rolls his eyes. “What’s so bad about it?” 

Sanghyuk opens his mouth to respond before closing it again. It’s hard to put into words how uncomfortable he feels in Mountain or why. It’s not because of Faction’s beliefs or anything like that. He fully supports their message of equality between mutants and normal people and the things they have to do to stop people like  _ her  _ who take drastic and often deadly action to promote mutant superiority. He gets why they’re sent on missions to protect normal people when  _ strange  _ things happen. He does. It’s just… He doesn’t like the way the people there look at them and treat them. Especially Faction’s leaders- almost as if they know something they don’t. Sanghyuk is glad it’s Hakyeon’s job - and Wonshik’s, to a lesser extent, as Hakyeon’s second in command - to deal with them. 

“It’s hard to explain.” He says. “They treat us differently to how they treat the other teams. I don’t know what it is- it’s almost as if we’re special? I don’t get it.”

Hakyeon laughs, “special? Us?”

“Maybe it’s because of your parents.” Sanghyuk shrugs. They had been founding members of Faction.

“Maybe.” Hakyeon says. He opens the communication channel to the cabin area where the others are. “Strap in everyone, we’re on final approach to Mountain. We’ll be landing in the next five minutes.”

Sanghyuk sighs, “I hate this.”

“It’s three hours- four at most.” Hakyeon tells him. “And then we can go home again.”

Sanghyuk already can’t wait.


	23. Rescue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Rescue'
> 
> This is a follow up to 'celebrate' and comes before 'gift'. 
> 
> WARNINGS - blood / talks of torture

Jaehwan blinks awake. 

He stays very still for a moment and listens hard, trying to work out what had woken him. His heart is beating hard in his chest. Is  _ she  _ coming back already? It doesn’t feel like long since she was last in their cell.

He looks up at Taekwoon knowing that he’s still awake because he has to be. Before she’d left, she’d had them stripped to their boxers and Jaehwan tied to a chair that had been bolted to the floor while a rope had been tied around Taekwoon’s wrists and he had been pulled up to dangle from the ceiling just above Jaehwan’s chair. He’s low enough that he could stand on Jaehwan’s shoulders to relieve the pressure on his wrists but with the bareness of their skin he  _ can’t _ . He’s learnt to control his powers for a couple of seconds at a time but any longer and he would just take and take and take. He’s had his feet curled up above Jaehwan’s head since she left them and Jaehwan has heard his whimpers and felt and seen his blood as it had dripped down onto him. 

“Are you awake?” Taekwoon hisses, the strain in his voice clear. “Did you hear that?”

“What was it?” Jaehwan asks. 

“I don’t know.” Taekwoon answers. “It doesn’t sound like-.”

There’s the distant sound of an explosion. 

“The others?” Jaehwan asks, hope welling in his heart. “It’s taken them long enough.” 

Taekwoon lets out a soft cry and, suddenly, his feet and the bottom of his legs are centimetres from Jaehwan’s face. He jerks backwards, as far as his bindings will allow him, and he can feel himself shake. He can’t have Taekwoon touch him, he can’t have him  _ take _ . 

“I’m sorry.” Taekwoon tells him and tries to lift his legs back up. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry- it  _ hurts _ .”

“Just stop moving.” Jaehwan snaps at him. He doesn’t mean to but he’s shaken and he’s scared. He doesn’t want Taekwoon anywhere near him. Not after what  _ she _ had made him do. 

Taekwoon stills as much as he can but he’s sobbing. Jaehwan’s stomach twists but he’s still so scared that there’s no room for any sympathy- not in that moment. 

There’s another explosion, closer and louder, and the walls and the floors shake with the force of it. Taekwoon jerks his legs up as the ceiling vibrates, causing him to swing, and he cries out in pain. 

There’s fighting going on outside their door. Jaehwan strains his ears to listen, hoping and praying it’s the others and that they’re there to rescue them. There are smaller explosions and shouting and-.

“That sounds like Wonshik.” He says before shouting, “we’re in here!” 

There’s a deep rumbling then and Jaehwan’s stomach drops as the walls and the floor and the ceiling begins to crack. Chunks of concrete fall down from the ceiling and Jaehwan hears a sickening  _ thud _ and Taekwoon goes suddenly limp.

“Taekwoon?” He shouts. “Taekwoon?!”

There’s blood splattering down onto Jaehwan, painting his skin red, and he feels so, so sick. 

“Jaehwan?” He hears someone -  _ Hongbin _ \- shout.

“We’re in here!” He shouts again. 

He waits and watches and then he sees the metal door of their cell melt away. Hongbin and Sanghyuk appear in the doorway and Jaehwan can hear Hakyeon and Wonshik a bit further way but moving closer. 

“Finally.” He says. “Get us the fuck out of here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I probs won't be writing too much more of this au (if any). It doesn't seem like too many people are interested. I hope those of you who have read this far have enjoyed :)

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed!


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